Kelly,
What a great story! It brings a big smile to my face, as it makes me recall my own initial meeting with the marque...
I was just 22 and had never heard of a Sunbeam, but I had always wanted an "open car". I was very attracted to English sports cars, such as Jags, Triumphs...MGs were just too common. And for my income, at that time in my life, I could not afford any of the former. One day, I spied a notice on the company billboard for a Series 5 Alpine. It sounded exotic, so I had to inquire.
Well, I fell in love with her at first sight. She was a "daily driver" for a Swiss-born engineer. She was not flawless - she was orchid green - but exotic indeed...and with just enough elan and distinctiveness to capture and hold my interest. But our time was not to be...yet.
Just as I had convinced my new bride that it was time to purchase a sports car, her owner had a change of heart and pulled her off the market. After that
I would sit in the parking lot at noon and eat my lunch looking at her - for almost a year. One of my buddies, who would humor me in my infatuation, would tell me that it was already my car and that it was just a matter of patience before she would be available to me again.
That time came. I recall the date, as it only this weekend after 5 years of storage and three weeks of "clearing out the cobwebs", that I happened upon some rather crude, minute scratchings that the prior owner had carved in the valve cover: "Good-bye, Honey. Fred Henzi loved you. August 1980". He hosted a great dinner for us on the vening of the transaction. Fred literally wept as I drove it out of his drive.
She is still with me today. And this weekend, we will again be reunited once again - on the highways and byways ot the Pacific Norhtwest!
Kelly, Welcome to the family!
Quentin Morris
> ----------
> From: Kelly Rasmussen[SMTP:rasmussenk(at)mindspring.com]
> Reply To: Kelly Rasmussen
> Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 1999 9:32 PM
> To: alpines(at)autox.team.net
> Subject: New Owner of an Alpine
>
> Hi to everyone:
>
> As of 2:00pm EST yesterday I became the latest owner of a 1961 Series II
> Sunbeam Alpine which will make the knowledge base out there very important
> to me as I figure out what to do with "Babette". I am new to posting on a
> list so please forgive any errors.
>
> Babette's previous two owners were native North Carolinians and she is the
> proverbial 'barn cat' (given to me FREE if I don't count the vet bills!).
> The last owner called Ruth Bash asking if she knew of anyone who would give
> Babette a good home just to keep her from being crushed. Ruth called me two
> weeks before she died and made me promise to save Babette. Promise now kept!
>
> Incidentally Babette's name came from the fact that she has a French ID
> plate inside the hood along with the British ID plate and the Body Number
> plate. I call my other British car "Babe" so "Babette" seemed appropriate
> for this car from Paris.
>
> QUESTION: Is there any way of tracing her lineage from these plates?
>
> I want to thank Doug Mallory for sending me list information and Ian
> Spencer for initial pricing on Alpines and the opportunity to buy Babette
> her first present: seatbelts.
>
> Many more questions to follow, all help appreciated,
> Kelly
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